Home > Matthews to Bachmann: 'Are You Hypnotized?' Bachmann Zings: Have You Lost Your Tingly Leg Thrills?

Matthews to Bachmann: 'Are You Hypnotized?' Bachmann Zings: Have You Lost Your Tingly Leg Thrills?

By

Geoffrey Dickens

November 3, 2010 - 12:06am

Michele
Bachmann took every thing Chris Matthews had tonight and punched back,
during her live election night MSNBC interview with the Hardball host.
After a frustrated Matthews actually asked the Congresswoman if she was
"hypnotized" and in a "trance" for not answering his questions the way
he liked, Bachmann fired back: "The American people are the
ones...coming out of our trance...I think people are thrilled tonight. I
imagine that thrill is probably maybe quite not so tingly on your leg
any more."

Bachman's point was hilariously underlined by a sign behind her that
referenced Matthews' now famous Barack Obama induced thrills, which
caused MSNBC's Rachel Maddowto whine: "Can we talk for
a second about what they're trying to do there? With that sign they're
trying to say MSNBC is in the tank and NBC is in the tank for Obama.
That's what they're trying to say."

The following is the full exchange as it was aired on MSNBC's live election night coverage on November 2nd:

CHRIS MATTHEWS:
Let's bring in U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Republican of
Minnesota. Congresswoman, thank you for joining us. I haven't had you on
in so long. I have to ask you, if your party gets control of the House
of Representatives, will you use the subpoena power to investigate the
Democratic members of Congress for un-Americanism?

MICHELE BACHMANN: Okay. So you're question was, if I heard you - I'm sorry, we got a very happy audience back here tonight.

MATTHEWS: Well, they're probably cheering me but-

BACHMANN: The question is will we use the subpoena power, is that the question?

MATTHEWS: Will you use the subpoena power which you will have as a
majority, if you claim the majority of the Congress, it looks like you
will, will you use the subpoena power to do what you said on my program
you would do, investigate the Democratic members of Congress for
un-American activities?

BACHMANN: Well, I think the first thing we're going to do is try and
set the economy in order because jobs is the big issue. You were just
having a discussion about that. And what people want to make sure is
that no one's taxes are going up. So I'm calling on Speaker Pelosi
during the lame duck session to listen to the American people. They're
speaking overwhelmingly tonight. "Don't raise our taxes. Stop the out of
control spending. " That's how we're going to get jobs back. So I hope
that during the lame duck session, she'll have an extension of all of
the current tax policy. Because the very sad story is that one second
after midnight, every taxpayer in the United States will see a dramatic
increase in taxes. No one can afford that right now. That's job one for
the United States Congress. We better listen to what the people have
been saying. We better do what they're asking us to do.

MATTHEWS: Well, your colleague Congressman Issa who is going to chair
the Oversight and Government Reform committee has said he will use the
subpoena power to investigate this administration. You have said on my
program to me that you want to see the Democratic members of Congress
investigated by the media, you put it that way. You wanted us to
investigate the Democrats for un-American attitudes. I just want to ask
you do you stick with that plan? Do you want us to do it or will you do
it with the subpoena power? Who do you want to investigate the
Democratic members of Congress for un-American thinking?

BACHMANN: Well, the plan that I've been talking about all through this
election is really four things. And I would encourage the new Republican
leadership to take this on as the agenda in 2011. And it's very simple.
It's keep the current tax policy so no one has increased taxes. Number
two, we need to put a full scale repeal of Obamacare passed through the
House, hopefully it can get through the Senate, and then number three,
we need to make sure that we secure the United States borders. And
number four, we need to make sure that we don't have a huge increase in
national energy tax. Those are the four issues that the American people
want the Congress to deal with because they want to get certainty back
into the economy.

MATTHEWS: Right.

BACHMANN: What this election shows is that people believe in this country, they love free enterprise -

MATTHEWS: Right.

BACHMANN -they love capitalism, they want to make sure that we have jobs going forward. That's job number one.

MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, Congresswoman. Congresswoman Bachmann, are
you hypnotized tonight? Has someone hypnotized you? Because no matter
what I ask you, you give the same answer. Are you hypnotized? Has
someone put you under a trance tonight? That you give me the same answer
no matter what question I put to you?

BACHMANN: I think, I think, the American people are the ones that
are finally speaking tonight. We're coming out of our trance; really
we're coming out of our nightmare. I think people are thrilled tonight. I
imagine that thrill is probably maybe quite not so tingly on your leg
any more. Not sure about that.

MATTHEWS: Your sign holder has already raised that issue. Well, some
day we'll have you on the show again and we'll get to the
investigations. But congratulations. I know you will never be defeated
on your philosophy which is to investigate everyone for everything.

BACHMANN: Which is free markets and embrace the principles of our founders.

MATTHEWS: Okay. Okay. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Michele
Bachmann who seems to be in a trance, but thank you back to you, Keith.

RACHEL MADDOW: Between the trance and the tingle, I feel like-

MATTHEWS: No, that's not a tingle. That's their word. I never used that word.

EUGENE ROBINSON: Where does this broadcast get physical? That's what I want to know.

KEITH OLBERMANN: 2006.

MADDOW: Can we talk for a second about what they're trying to do there?
With that sign they're trying to say MSNBC is in the tank and NBC is in
the tank for Obama. That's what they're trying to say.

MATTHEWS: No, let me get back to this. That's ad hominem.

-Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here[1]

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